LornaHansonForbes

...AND AGAIN, this has nothing to do with the copyright date on the film and EVERYTHING to do with its lack of quality.

I don't tend to be one to wade into the "new movies are taking over TCM!" discussions, because for the most part I really don't have any problems at all with post-1980 showing up from time to time on the schedule AS LONG AS THEY ARE OF QUALITY THAT VALIDATES THEIR PRESENCE ON THE NETWORK. But this. It's on tonight as part of the WOMEN IN FILM series. It was directed by Amy Heckerling who has never directed a fully satisfying film- both TALKING films, CLUELESS, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, LOSER and JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY all bear the hallmarks of really half-youknowwhat-ed direction. Love you Ileanna and love this series, but this gets a big: from me. Leave this one for the SUPERSTATION or AMC.

None of that particularly bothers me, people think up and approve stupid ideas day in day out , week after week, year after year- they always have and will continue to do so. What does offend and perturb me is when good money that could have gone to a hundred other more worthy ideas is wasted paying for and executing the bad ones.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH aka STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN is on tonight at 8:00 and if you haven't seen it: you should; it's one of the best British films ever made (although I admit this is due to the direction, script and production values and not so much to anything noteworthy on the part of the actors.) still really worth checking out though.

anyone not knowing what this thread was about would walk right into it and be like:

it's a topic that's come up before. personally, from what i've seen of her pre-BRAIN work, namely BLACK WIDOW and A KISS BEFORE DYING, I think she was not a terribly good actress, although some like her. she had a unique look and voice, but the latter has a flat, monotonous quality that makes her line reads stiff. EDIT- I am a huge MST 3K fan and I prefer the Mike Nelson era. THE BRAIN THAT... was the first movie they did with him and it was a great choice. I've seen BRAIN as part of the MST episode many, many times and watching it sans commentary would be impossible for me, although I can just about remember most of the quips BY HEART. One of my absolute favorite riffs they do on the movie follows a particularly stilted laugh from Jan in the Pan which pretty much is a literal read of "ha ha ha", which Crow- who mimicked her voice very well- follows up with a stiff "I'M LAUGHING!" It just nails Leith's weaknesses as an actress for me.

I couldn't find anything about it on wikipedia, but I swear I read that the people who made THE BRAIN/HEAD THAT WOULDN'T DIE soonafter ended up the victims of loansharks who killed them over an unpaid debt. I'm serious.

Meaning the version where we see the monster spit out that McNugget looking thing after biting the guy in the neck, then picks it up and looks at it? (Sorry, I don't think that "spoils" anything for anyone who hasn't seen this movie.)

I am not entirely sure that one of those " girls" isn't a guy (dark hair.)

"You're the only thing that's going to be made tonight, honey."

CRAWFORD: THE ETERNAL FEMALE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViGOBTnT8Rg

I actually bought THE JOAN CRAWFORD COLLECTION, VOLUME 2 specifically for FLAMINGO ROAD, but the bonus was that TORCH SONG came along with the deal. I loaned it to a friend forever ago and may never see it again.

I love the guy at 2:12. He reminds me a little bit of Shelley Long's ex husband in THE MONEY PIT. the choreography that follows is spectacular. "we are trees swaying in the wind..." ps- those are some hardcore acid-washed mom jeans she is heaving her dancers wear.

When was this, 89? 90? It'd be awesome if this was the end of the tour and the dancers had had it with her and they let her drop during the "trust exercise" part of the routine and she lets out a big ole' Mr. Ed whinny as she hits the ground. That wig must've weighed thirty pounds.

I do think HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS is in many respects a fascinating film. I don't think a soap opera was ever adapted into a feature film before or after, but the movie is such a payoff in large part because the series, like many daytime dramas of the time, operated under the founding principle of soap operas which is to have as little happen as is humanly possible in every episode. To get you to watch, the evil genius of soap operas was to manage to have just barely enough happen every week. But the movie hits the ground running and big time. It doesn't even really have a credit sequence, they just unfold as the action starts to happen and major characters are dying left and right, including quite a few unexpected deaths. And it's very clever, the way they encapsulate the whole Barnabas story into a very satisfying 90 minutes, but were really ahead of their time when it came to viewing the film is happening in its own separate universe from the TV show. If I have any one complaint about the film it is that it doesn't use Joan Bennett enough, and her character is left with no real resolution...although one doesnt get the sense shes in for a happy ending.

In re: DARK SHADOWS visual effects fails I have seen one clip on YouTube where the character of a witch is "burning" and as she writhes around, she steps outside of the flames that have somehow been superimposed over her via trick photography.

No not at all. I have no knowledge of how to upload, edit or mess with the speed of videos, only how to link them from YouTube. And were I in possession of this knowledge and had decided to slow down Joan's wig removing scene at the end of the clip, I would have probably accompanued it with the sound effect like the dinosaur roar from DUEL or the sound of one of the dogs barking out "ZUUL!" from " ghostbusters." Ps maybe the music cue from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON...

Anna Magnani for SOTM.

It was. He was quite handsome.

ps- as much as I would love to take credit for the slo mo replay, the honors should go to whoever posted it on youtube,

I have nothing but questions with regard to the TWO-FACED WOMAN number in TORCH SONG. Is TWO-FACED WOMAN part of a musical that is like THE BAND WAGON: just a series of unrelated numbers; OR is it consequential to the plot of the show Jenny and company are taking on the road? And if so, is Joan's character a mulatto in this? Is this some sort of musical version of ANNA LUCASTA? And if not- does she have to run and scrape off the blackface pronto to get ready for the LOUISIANA HAYRIDE number in the second act? And why the Aunt Jemima ladies in grey as backup dancers? Why the dumpy grey track suits cinched with striped ties for the men? And what exactly is "a little bit of heatness" ? And exactly what about the concept of a "two-faced woman" said to you "yeah, you know what this needs? Blackface!"? And why that wig? You do have to love how Joan makes not one single dance step in the whole thing, just sort of walks around and over the "dancers." She studied at the Whitney Houston school of Movement and Dance. My favorite moment comes at 2:47. Really worth going back to check out for those of you who are interested.

I go with c, because there is an extended "Sunday Morning" scene herein Joan's character just sort of putters about for 5-7 minutes of screen time- no dialogue or anything. It's meant to convey how empty her character's life is but it's odd.

That was great! Esp. the last line.